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ABC News: Public reactions to sending troops to Vietnam War

Do you think Australian governments have always acted wisely when deciding to send young Australians to wars? Does the public usually know enough to support such decisions? On 29 April 1965, Australia's prime minister, Robert Menzies, announced the decision to send Australian troops to fight in Vietnam. In this clip, filmed ...

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ABC News: Mungo man goes home

The discovery of Mungo Man in 1974 rewrote history by revealing that Aboriginal people had been in Australia twice as long as previously thought. Named after the location at which it was found, the skeleton is around 42,000 years old. When discovered in 1974, Mungo Man was moved to a university in Canberra for scientific ...

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Life in Medieval Europe: A woman's life

What was life like for women in Medieval Europe? Did they enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men? In this clip, learn about the roles of peasant women and the lives they could expect to lead. This clip is one in a series of five.

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Life in Medieval Europe: Trading for food

What are the essential things you need to survive? Food, water, medicine, shelter, sanitation ... anything else? How do you obtain these basic requirements? How might people living in Medieval Europe have survived if they had no money or land? In this clip, discover a useful practice that helped peasants negotiate a living. ...

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The convict voyages

What do you think it was like for convicts on their voyage from England to Australia? Would you be surprised to discover that their life expectancy on board a convict vessel was actually higher than that of free settlers? Watch this video to discover why this might be, and learn about the convicts themselves.

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ABC News: Tension in Jakarta, 1965

Discover what happens when a failed coup (violent overthrow) leaves the Indonesian government in turmoil. This clip shows the government being re-shuffled to reward those who have been loyal to President Sukarno's regime. General Suharto is one of them.

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The mighty Aztecs

Who were the Mexihcah? Discover the rich and brutal history of the Aztec culture and the birth of Modern Mexico.

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Four Corners: TV killed the radio star

Can you imagine a time when, instead of watching dramas at home on a screen, people listened to them on the radio - a time when the most popular of those dramas were made in Australia? This Four Corners program from 1964 examines the reasons for the death of Australian radio serials, the role played by television in their ...

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Four Corners: Before the Referendum: Margaret Valadian speaks up

Imagine being asked to speak on behalf of your culture. Explore and compare some of the attitudes of and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 1967. In the national referendum of that year, 90 per cent of Australian voters agreed that the affairs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be ...

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Nexus: Eora: mapping Aboriginal Sydney, 1770-1850

Why are artworks viewed as important sources of historical information? In this clip, you will see a range of artworks created about and by the Eora people, the original inhabitants of Port Jackson (site of today's Sydney Harbour). These artworks were part of a State Library of NSW exhibition in 2006, which was designed ...

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Four Corners: Defending civil rights: an activist's perspective, 1968

What happens when the members of a society feel like they have no hope? This is the situation faced by members of Harlem's African American community in 1968, who find themselves in a cycle of poverty. Civil rights activists like Al Cook offer a solution to the problem: fight back.

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ABC Open: Anzac Day and the unseen costs of war

Discover the unseen costs of war. Many people experience fear, anxiety, bereavement, shock and other forms of psychological trauma that do not end when they return home. Watch this clip as residents of Violet Town in Victoria reflect on the personal cost of war.

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The Navigators: Confrontation on King Island

Governor King is commander of the British settlement in Port Jackson (now Sydney). He suspects French explorer Nicolas Baudin of planning to claim a French colony in 'New Holland'. King sends a ship to race Baudin to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). Watch this clip to find out what happens next.

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The Navigators: Baudin arrives at Ile de France

Discover a surprise that waits for Nicolas Baudin on his voyage to explore 'New Holland'. Baudin visits Ile de France (Island of France), a French colony in the Indian Ocean. Baudin and his crew are desperate for rest and fresh supplies here. Imagine their distress when they find trouble instead.

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Four Corners: Women 'rattle the chains' in public bars

Imagine a time in the not too distant past when Australian women were not allowed to drink in public bars. Such gender discrimination was still enforced by law in Queensland in the 1960s. This clip from 1965 reports on an incident in which Merle Thornton and Rosalie Bogner defied the law by chaining themselves to a public ...

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Four Corners: Industrialisation versus conservation

The conflict between industry and conservation is not a new one. This clip, taken from a 1973 Four Corners program, highlights the conflict between those wishing to preserve Australia's natural environment and those representing industrial interests. Industry is shown to be spending millions of dollars to prevent pollution. ...

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Hindsight: Fighting conscription, 1966

What would you do If your government tried to force you to fight in what you believed to be an unjust war? Conscription (compulsory military service) was instated in Australia in 1964. From 1965 to 1972, Australian troops, including conscripts, were sent to the Vietnam War. Listen to US President Johnson encouraging Australians ...

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The Australian Dream: Cultural identity

Cultural identity gives us a sense of connection and belonging and an understanding of who we are and where we come from. There is a direct connection between people's sense of cultural identity and their health and wellbeing. This clip explores some of our nation’s history, including how Australia Day is seen by both Indigenous ...

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Untold Stories, Ep 12: The submarine that ran amok at Gallipoli

Alec Nichols was a farm boy from the Sunshine Coast who joined the navy at the age of 18. During World War I, he was one of 35 men on the AE2 submarine that broke through enemy lines in the Dardanelles strait. After five days of sustained attacks from the Turkish navy, the submarine had to surface. The men were captured ...

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Outback House: Meet the participants

Imagine leaving your home to travel back to a time over 150 years ago, to live and work on an outback farm. Sixteen Australians take part in a reality TV show about life on Oxley Downs, a sheep station built to look and work as a real station would have in the 1860s. Meet some of the participants and find out what job they ...